March 4, Purim Eve, just before 4pm local time: In Tel Aviv, Israel –A Palestinian suicide-bomber kills himself and 13 Israelis (12 civilians and one soldier), wounding about 130 more, outside the Dizengoff Center (the fourth suicide-bombing in Israel in nine days, bringing the death toll during that span to over 60).

September 7: In Las Vegas, USA – Rap singer TUPAC AMARU suffers multiple gunshot wounds in a driveby shooting from a a white, four-door, late-model Cadillac, and later dies of his injuries; after having received extortion death threats from the Jewish Defense League (JDL). The FBI file reads –

"The JDL ...have been extorting money from various rap music stars via death threats".

Jerusalem – The 'Hasmonean' Tunnel, near the Western Wall (Kotel), is opened onto Via Dolorosa, many Muslim Palestinians riot in fear of it being a Jewish plot to take over Temple Mount by destroying Muslim shrines as had been previously threatened – 73 Palestinians are killed.

In

Israel-Palestine – The Mizrahi Democratic Rainbow Coalition (הקשת הדמוקרטית המזרחית‎, Hakeshet Hademocratit Hamizrahit) social justice organization is formed to implement values of democracy, human rights, social justice, equality and multiculturalism in the face of Jewish racial discrimination in Israel.

Mizrahi Keshet/Forum
formed in Israel

October: In Israel – A so-called red heifer (Melody) is born at Kfar Hasidim near Haifa. Various rabbis affirm its status for the Temple purification rite. (As a preliminary necessity to Temple restoration after a Jewish take-over of Temple Mount).

October 11: TUVIA SAGIV's thorough historical and geophysical research on Temple Mount is published on Internet, identifying the Temple site as being 16m under the Al-Kas Fountain, between the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aksa mosque, and thus poses no threat to any Muslim shrines. However most Jews do not accept his findings.

Israel's Temple Site
accurately identified

SAGIV

appeals to Israeli prime minister NETANYAHU to facilitate excavation through the underground 'Solomon's Stables' (a Crusader construction on Roman ruins) thus without disturbing the Temple Mount surface area. But Muslims had started a mosque under Temple Mount in the 'Solomon's Stables' of HADRIAN, as had been previously agreed to by the RABIN government (see March 30, 1997).

November 8: In Croatia –A Croatian version of the fake 'Protocols of the Elders of Zion', sells briskly in Zagreb, feeding anti-Semitic hate despite protests from SIMON WIESENTHAL, the famous Austrian Nazi hunter.

In

Israel – Diamond cutter and merchant LEV LEVIEV acquires control of Africa Israel Investments from Bank Leumi.
(Leviev's devotion to Jewishsettlement construction in the Palestinian West Bank has drawn protest - from outside the Old Bond Street store in his London home, to the Leviev-owned jewelry store in New York City, and has impelled Oxfam to make it clear that Leviev has not donated to the charity. UNICEF has also advised Leviev that they will not partner with or accept any contributions from him due to the controversy.)

1997

February: Jane's Intelligence Review reports, in an article entitled "A Propensity for Conflict: Potential Scenarios and Outcomes of War in the Middle East" by Kenneth S. Brower, that Israel is estimated to have as many as 400 nuclear weapons.

Israeli threat to peace

March 30: In Israel –Chai Vekayam movement challenges the use of 'Solomon's Stables' in Temple Mount as a Mosque in the Israel Supreme Court.

April 1: In Israel – Remains of Cardos secundos street leading to the Temple area, apparently of the 1st century, is unearthed in Jerusalem.

Switzerland –Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) begins destroying World War 2 related files for it had collaborated with the Nazis to rob Jews by storing orphaned assets. An employee Christoph Meili (security guard) becomes suspicious and takes home some of the files. He is charged with violation of the banking secrecy, receives death threats, and has to flee Switerland. The U.S. eventually grant him and his family political asylum, and he lives there until 2003, and eventually freturns home after the charges against him are cancelled.

In

Iraq – The government precipitates a crisis over UN weapons inspection, increasing fears of a bio-chemical attack on Israel.

June 17: In Israel –Israel's Trade and Industry Minister, NATAN SHARANSKY (Yisrael Ba'Aliya party) admits to receiving $100,000 from Jewish Russian GREGORY LERNER of the Russian Mafia ('Organizatsiya'). Mr Lerner, detained as he tried to leave Israel, is alleged to have defrauded Russian banks of $85m (£52m), and to have been involved in two murders.
(The Israeli police said earlier this year that they knew of 31 Russian mafia leaders in Israel, of whom only one is Jewish; the rest forged documents or arranged marriages to become Israeli citizens. The Russian mafia had previously held many of its meetings in Cyprus, but in 1993 they switched to Tel Aviv to avoid the attention of foreign police forces, feeling safer in Israel.)

According

to the respected Stratfor.com research and intelligence organization, the Israeli government estimates that roughly 10% of all Jewish immigration to Israel is criminal, yet, little is done to stem this tide other than pious denunciations. Even more, the Israeli government has admitted that mafia money (more than $1.5 million) went to finance much of Benjamin Netanyahu’s campaign for the Prime Ministership in 1996.

Israel's Mafia

Under the Ural

mountains Yamantau and Kosvinsky, in Russia – Construction progresses in a large underground nuclear shelter as a preparation for possible nuclear war. The military garrisons of Beloretsk-15, Beloretsk-16, and Alkino-2 are built on top of the shelter, near Mezhgorye/Snezhinsk (Сне́жинск) a closed town in Chelyabinsk Oblast. Large rail lines serve the facility.
In 1998, the commander of the US Strategic Command (STRATCOM) Gen. Eugene Habinger, calls Yamantau –

"a very large complex that ...has millions of square feet available for underground facilities.â

It is believed to be large enough to house 60,000 persons, with a special air filtration system designed to withstand a nuclear, chemical or biological attack. Enough food and water is believed to be stored at the site to sustain its underground population for months on end.

Russian
precautions
for survival of
a nuclear war

September

24: In Jordan –Two Israeli Mossad agents with Canadian passports attempt to assassinate KHALED MASHAL of Hamas by spraying him in his left ear with a lethal nerve toxin. They are arrested after a chase. Jordan's King HUSSEIN demands that Israel's Prime MInister NETANYAHU provide the antidote for the nerve toxin. At first Netanyahu refuses, but as the incident grows in political significance, American President Bill Clinton intervenes and forces Netanyahu to turn over the antidote. Jordanian authorities later release the two Mossad agents in exchange for the release of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder and spiritual leader of Hamas (originally released from Egyptian imprisonment in Gaza in 1967 by Israel to create an organisation in opposition to the PLO). After the incident Mashal states: 'Israeli threats have one of two effects: some people are intimidated, but others become more defiant and determined. I am one of the latter.')

30: In France – French Catholic bishops, in a Declaration of Repentance (52 years late) for complicity in the crimes of the French fascist State, declare

"...The poisonous plant of hatred of the Jews had deformed mentalities, putting consciences to sleep, and diminishing the capacity for resistance to the diabolic anti-Semitism of the Nazis. In the face of the persecution of Jews, especially the multifaceted anti-Semitic laws passed by Vichy, silence was the rule, and words in favour of the victims the exception."

In

Switzerland – The release of Nazi gold held by Swiss banks that was looted from Jews is negotiated.

Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) is founded by peace activists, as an Israeli peace and human rights organization dedicated to ending the occupation of the Palestinian territories and achieving a just peace between Israelis and Palestinians –

Jeff Halper,

Amos Gvirtz,

Rabbi Arik Ascherman,

Meir Margalit,

Yoav Hess,

Yael Cohen.

December

4: Pretoria, South Africa – President NELSON MANDELA states –

"It behoves all South Africans, themselves erstwhile beneficiaries of generous international support, to stand up and be counted among those contributing actively to the cause of freedom and justice ...

we know too well that our freedom in incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians."

In

Al Mazaria (Farmers Hill) in Palestine –Messianic Jews illegally take over Palestinian farm land and called it Amona.
On February 1, 2017, after a long delay, the Yesh Din social activist group is eventually able to secure a court order ordering the restoration of the land to its original Palestinian inhabitants.

The 330 illegal Messianic Jewish settlers refuse to evacuate, and are eventually forcible removed by Israel Security Forces.

Israel refuses a Polish extradition request for the arrest of SOLOMON MOREL (See 1945) on the grounds that the Statute of Limitations has expired. (See July 2005).

February:

the 'World Islamic Front for Jihad Against the Jews and Crusaders' (al-Qa'eda) issues a statement saying it is the duty of all Muslims to kill US citizens – civilian or military – and their allies everywhere. (See June 2001).

24: In the British Virgin Islands –'Red Diamond Trading Ltd' (a front company for weapons manufacturer BAE Systems) is anonymously incorporated. It is used to channel bribery payments all over the world, via Red Diamond accounts in London, Switzerland and New York. (June 25, 1999, BAE sets up a second front company, purely to handle the Saudi commission/bribe payments for al-Yamamah, namely 'Poseidon Trading Investments Ltd', also incorporated in the British Virgin Islands.)

See: BAE fined in US
court March 2010

April:

Israel celebrates the 50th anniversary of the State of Israel.2: In France – MAURICE PAPON is found guilty of crimes against humanity for complicity in the arrest and detention of Jews, but escapes complicity in their extermination.

May

7: In USA – The Commodity Futures Trading Commission issues a Concept Release appealing for regulation of derivatives trading market on "how best to maintain adequate regulatory safeguards without impairing the ability of the OTC derivatives market to grow and the ability of U.S. entities to remain competitive in the global financial marketplace." This regulation is strongly opposed by four very influential Jewish voices in the US financial system –

without offering any evidence that contracts would not be misused by financial institutions. (See July 30).

11: In Jerusalem, Israel –After continous denial of spying on the United States in the Pollard case for 13-years, the Israeli government finally admits (after Pollard initiates legal action in the High Court of Israel to force its government to admit he was its agent) that Jonathan Pollard was their known and sanctioned agent, handled by high ranking officials of the Israeli Bureau for Scientific Relations intelligence agency. This Israeli intelligence agency was known as Lekem (הלשכה לקשרי מדע‎) and had been disbanded in 1986 following Pollard's arrest in the US. (In September 2009 Israel's State Comptroller states that Jonathan Pollard had been denied due legal process in the United States)

July

17: In Rome –Israel, together with China, the United States, Libya, Yemen, and Qatar, vote against the creation of the International Court of Justice of the United Nations.

The motion passes with a vote of 120 to these 7 against, with 20 abstentions.

International Criminal Court
established.
Entered into force 1 July 2002

30: In Washington, USA –Jewish Secretary of the Treasury, LAWRENCE H SUMMERS, testifies before congress in opposition to regulatory safeguards on trading in derivatives contracts that "the parties to these kinds of contract are largely sophisticated financial institutions that would appear to be eminently capable of protecting themselves from fraud and counterparty insolvencies." This position against regulation is supported by three other influential Jewish Americans – RUBIN, GREENSPAN, and LEVITT.

(Summers, Levitt, Greenspan, and Rubin, torpedo any effort to regulate derivatives which later many blame for bringing the financial market down through overexposure to credit derivatives of mortgage-backed securities which cause the failure of US financial institutions Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, American International Group, and Washington Mutual in 2008.)

23: In USA –Wye Memorandum is signed by NETANYAHU (Israel) and ARAFAT (PLO). The Palestinians are to present the security working paper, arrest 10 of the listed 30 fugitives wanted by Israel, set up a framework for collection of illegal weapons, nullify sections of the Palestinian Covenant calling for Israel's destruction in the Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Committee, and issue a decree against incitement.

Wye Memorandum
(see September 4, 1999)

The

Israeli government will then decide on the release of 250 Palestinian prisoners, allow the opening of the Dahaniya airport, and carry out the first West Bank redeployment of two percent from Area C to Area B, and 7.1 percent from Area B to Area A. (See November).
In addition, committees dealing with economic issues, safe passage routes, and the Gaza seaport are to begin meeting.

Sowithin ten days Israeli will transfer 13% of territory in area C (under Israeli security and civil control) – 1% to area A (under Palestinian security and civil control) and 12% to area B (under Palestinian civil control, Israeli security control).

It does not happen!

28 In Gaza –A bomb aimed at a busload of school children explodes killing two people.

31: The US and Israel signed a strategic cooperation agreement to protect Israel from ballistic missiles.

November:

However, NETANYAHU suspends further West Bank redeployment until Palestinian protests against non-release of political prisoners ends and security co-operation improves.

6: In Jerusalem – A car bomb exploded at an outdoor market, 2 suicide bombers are killed and 23 others injured. Islamic Jihad claims responsibility, but the Israeli cabinet immediately puts the Palestinian peace accord on hold.16: In South Lebanon – Three Israeli soldiers are killed when Hezbollah detonates a road bomb.26: In South Lebanon – Two Israeli soldiers are killed when a roadside bomb destroys their armoured vehicle.

December:

The Palestinian Authority, in the presence of the visiting American president, revokes articles of the PLO constitution that call for the destruction of the State of Israel.

Seventeen

American troops arrive in Israel as part of the Patriot battery teams deployed in the Tel Aviv and Haifa areas to help protect against possible attack by Iraq, resulting from British and American attacks on Iraqi military and security targets. In addition, Hark anti-aircraft missiles are also deployed in preparation against an infiltration attempt by Iraqi aircraft.

1999

January 4: In Israel – The Interior Ministry of Israel orders the deportation of 11 members of an apocalyptic Christian cult under suspicion that they were planning to commit violent acts in Jerusalem at the close of 1999. Three additional cult members will remain in Israel for questioning. The Denver based apocalyptic cult intended to provoke a shoot-out by opening fire on policemen, an act they believed would hasten the second coming of the Lord JESUS. A police statement said that "The arrests were carried out to protect certain sectors of the Israeli population and members of the cult themselves, who blindly follow" a leader who is now overseas. The leader, identified as MONTE KIM MILLER, had claimed that he is one of the final 'two witnesses' prophesied in the New Testament in Chapter 11 of the Book of Revelation, and is said to have told his followers that he would die in Jerusalem in December 1999 and be resurrected three days later. 5:Chief Rabbi of Rehovot, SIMCHA HACHOHEN KOOK tells the Knesset's Committee on Constitution, Law and Justice that The Chief Rabbinate of Israel has instructed religious councils, to which Reform and Conservative representatives have been appointed, not to convene.

Tuesday 26: In Switzerland – The August 1998 Settlement of US$1.25 billion is now signed reached with Swiss banks by Holocaust survivors, and it is to be implemented under the auspices of Judge Edward R. Korman of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. The settlement agreement creates five classes of claimants eligible under the settlement –Jews, Roma, Jehovah’s Witnesses, homosexuals, and disabled persons
– and five categories of claims:
Deposited Assets Class, Slave Labour Class I, Refugee Class, Slave Labour Class II, and Looted Assets Class.
(As a condition to the Settlement, the defendant banks required seventeen major worldwide Jewish organizations to sign “organizational endorsements.” The last organizational endorsement is executed on March 30, 1999, thus finalizing the Settlement Agreement.)

See: July 26, 2001.

February

2, Monday:Dozens of enraged ultra-Orthodox Jews hurl curses at a group of 33 leading American Reform Jews who come to the Western Wall in Jerusalem to pray. Israel's police, who had advance information that the ultra-Orthodox Jews intended to attack the Reform worshippers, are present in large numbers to create a barrier between the two groups. The prospect of violence prompt the police to rethink their intention to permit the Reform Jews to pray immediately next to the Wall. The group is asked to convene within the bounds of a police barricade considerably farther from the Wall itself.

March

3: A 66-year-old Arab, Judge ABDEL RAHMAN ZUABI, receives a nine-month appointment to Israel's Supreme Court. ZUABI was appointed by Justice Minister HANEGBI, who said – "[Zuabi's] appointment highlights the successful integration of the Arab community into the life of the state."
ZUABI was a member of the judicial committee of inquiry, headed by Supreme Court President MEIR SHAMGAR, which investigated the 1994 Tomb of the Patriarchs massacre. He was also responsible for several rulings which were upheld by the Supreme Court. ZUABI established the exclusive right of the Moslem sha'ariya courts to fix alimony payments as well as ruling that testimony given by a witness to an investigator is valid, even if the witness refused to repeat the testimony in court.

Tuesday 9: RANA RASLAN, 21, of Haifa was named Miss Israel for 1999, becoming the first Israeli-Arab to win the title. 'Miss Israel' was chosen as the Arab sector's beauty queen in Israel three years ago. Following her victory, RANA said she was proud to win the pageant and that her victory is further proof that Jewish and Arab peaceful co-existence is possible. Arab sectors in Israel celebrated her victory with fanfare. "It does not matter whether I'm Jewish or Arab," RANA said. "We are all human. We can live in co-existence, and I will represent Israel in the most appropriate way."

Wednesday 10: In Italy – Iranian Foreign Minister KAMAL HARRAZI on a tour tells Italian officials that "the State of Israel has no right to exist."

Monday 22: Non-Jews who saved the lives of imperilled Jews during the Nazi Holocaust are to receive payments from a humanitarian fund established by Swiss government to compensate Holocaust survivors, newspaper Yediot Aharonot reports. Payments to the "Righteous Among the Nations", as these individuals are collectively known in Israel, are made possible through the efforts of the International Organization for the Restitution of Jewish Property and Yad Vashem. Many of the "Righteous Among the Nations" are still living in Europe in impoverished conditions.

Friday 26: The Regional Labour Court of Beersheva rules on Thursday that Labour and Welfare Minister ELI YISHAI is exploiting a law, which prevents Jews from operating businesses on the sabbath, for purposes of religious coercion. Presiding over the suit of two Eilat-based businessmen brought to court by the Labour and Welfare Ministry for using Jewish labour on the sabbath, Justice MORDECHAI KALIF found the defendants guilty but fined them only $4.50 because of the implication of wrongdoing on YISHAI's behalf. YISHAI has so far submitted 650 such cases to the court for prosecution. However, he has yet to submit any legally actionable cases dealing with other social issues under his jurisdiction.

April:

In Germany – GERALD FREDRICK TÖBEN is arrested for violating German law by denying the Holocaust.

May

17: EHUD BARAK of the Labour Part becomes Prime Minister under the One Israel banner. The final composition of the 120 member Knesset gives –

One Israel

26

31.2%

United Torah Judaism

5

6.0%

Likud

19

22.8%

United Arab Party

5

6.0%

Shas

17

20.4%

National Religious Party

5

6.0%

Meretz

10

12.0%

National Union

4

4.8%

Yisrael Beiteinu

4

4.8%

Yisrael B'Aliyah

6

7.2%

Hadash

3

3.6%

Center Party

6

7.2%

Balad

2

2.4%

Shinui

6

7.2%

One Nation

2

2.4%

The first Arab woman to join the Knesset, HUSNIYA JABARA, from Taibeh, receives the 10th Knesset slot on the Meretz Party list.

June:

In Israel – The High Court of Justice orders the Ministry of Religious Affairs to pay NIS 7,000 (approximately $1,750 US) to the Reform Movement. The decision came as a result of the Ministry's refusal, for FIVE YEARS, to fulfil the Court's order to provide financial support to the Reform Movements Hebrew Union College. The Ministry provided the Court-ordered support only after the Reform Movement twice threatened to pursue charges of contempt of court. The initial petition, filed by the Reform Movement in 1993, contended that Hebrew Union College is entitled to the same support as Orthodox yeshivas.

In

Washington, USA – The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs reports that a study of Jewish Zionist terrorismagainst Palestinians between 1980 and 1984 show the yearly number of terror incidents as –

Saturday 4: In Sharm el-Sheikh – A Memorandum of Understanding (also known as the Amended Wye Memorandum) is signed between Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat in which it is promised concerning the Palestinian West Bank that Israel will transfer (within a week) 7% of Area C (Israeli security and civil control) to Area B (under Palestinian civil control, Israeli security control).
Israel also agrees to transfer 2% of Area B to Area A (under Palestinian security and civil control) and another 3% of Area C to Area B in November 1999, and in January 2000, it is supposed to transfer a further 1% of Area C to Area A and 15% of Area B to Area A.

But none of the agreed ever happens! By 2014, Areas A and B cover less than 40% of the Palestinian West Bank.

Monday 6: In Moscow, Russia – A series of apartment bombings, linked to Russia's secret FSB (successor of the KGB), after PUTIN becomes Prime Minister (in August), but the attacks are blamed on Chechnyan separatists. (These bombings have the effect of rallying Russian public support around Putin as he launches a second war against Chechnya in October.)

Sparking the rise of
PUTIN to the Presidency

Friday 10: On the eve of the Jewish new year the population of the State of Israel is reported to have reached 6,145,000. Figures released by the Central Bureau of Statistics show that among the population, there are in the Israel population registry –

Jews

4,847,000

79%

Muslims

922,000

15%

Druze, Christians, & others

376,000

6%

According to the
Babylonian New Year
in contradiction of
God's instruction
that the year begin
with Passover

Saturday 11: Millions of Jews in Israel and around the world mark the incoming of the year 5760 on Rosh Hashana, which begins at sundown and will continue until sundown Sunday.

October

8: In South Africa –Jewish mafia LIOR SAAT assassinates Shai Avissar, a diamond dealer and alleged member of the Israeli mafia. (See: November 2003).

11: In France – MAURICE PAPON escapes to Switzerland on false papers to escape his prison sentence. (See January 1944).

Monday 25: The US Federal Bureau of Investigation is helping Israel identify Christian extremist groups that may have apocalyptic plans during pilgrimages to Israel in the coming year. The FBI has been co-operating with Israeli security forces to identify the Christian cults and is briefing top Israeli law enforcement officials on the groups which have been identified as potential troublemakers.
Internal Security Minister SHLOMO BEN-AMI and U.S. Attorney General JANET RENO met today in Washington, DC to discuss further modes of co-operation on the issue.

Sunday 31: Natural gas deposits discovered at Or 1, an offshore drilling site 23 miles south of Ashkelon, are substantial enough to become commercially viable, Isramco Inc.'s general manager YOSSI LEVI says. YEHEZKEL DRUCKMAN, oil commissioner at the National Infrastructure Ministry, says the quantities found at Or 1 and Noah could together yield 10 billion cubic meters, which would meet all of the Israel Electric Corp.'s needs for the next 10 years. Reportedly the discovery will increase pressure on Egypt to advance in the negotiations on the supply of natural gas to Israel.

Wednesday 27: Speaking at the first meeting of the Ministerial Committee on Conversion, Minister of Diaspora and Social Affairs MICHAEL MELCHIOR disclosed that more than half of last year's immigrants from the former Soviet Union were non-Jews. Representatives from the Conservative and Reform movements did not attend the meeting since they were invited as members of the board of the joint conversion institute and not acknowledged as representatives of their respective movements.
The leaders also objected to MELCHIOR's appeal to the Supreme Court to delay hearing the Conservative movement's petition against the Interior Ministry's decision not to register adopted children converted by Conservative rabbis in Israel as Jews. The Ministerial Committee intends to deal not only with the issue of conversion, but also with all issues relating to religion and state, such as the issue of mixed prayer at the Western Wall. (see November 7).

November

7, Sunday: Three pipe nail-bombs hidden next to a trash can in Netanya explode this morning and a fourth pipe bomb is discovered yards away and taken to an isolated area where it is defused. Pedestrians were thrown to the ground by the force of the blasts that wounded 34 people. Scores of Palestinian suspects detained by police and the General Security Service for questioning were released on Sunday night and the perpetrators remain at large.

In

Israel – Israel's Interior Minister NATAN SHARANSKY decides that his Ministry will not register as Jews those converted in expeditious conversions, irrespective of their validation by the Chief Rabbinate. The Ministry has defined such conversions as those in which candidates study in Israel prior to converting to Judaism in a Jewish community abroad. This restriction applies to conversions done under the auspices of all of the movements. SHARANSKY said he had decided to take this step to clarify a situation in which he had been accused of discriminating in favour of the Orthodox by registering those converted in expeditious conversions abroad that were subsequently validated by the Chief Rabbinate.

8, Monday: The population of Israel reaches Six Million (6,169,000) this month – an increase of 154,000 over the same time period last year – according to the Fiftieth Statistical Yearbook for the State of Israel, published today. The total population growth rate is 2.5%, higher than most countries in the world. The growth rate in the Muslim sector is the highest at 3.7%, followed by the Druze at 2.3% and the Christians at 2.1%. The Jewish sector's growth rate is the lowest at 1.8%.
The national expenditure on education per capita was higher in Israel than other developed countries. Israel's national expenditure on security has decreased over the past 20 years. The average income in the highest earning tenth of the population was nine times higher than that of the lowest tenth. Professor YOSEF YAHAV, Chief Government Statistician, said that while this inequality had increased in terms of earnings from work and other sources, it had decreased in the fields of health and education.

Israel's Ministries of 'Labour and Welfare', 'Diaspora and Social Affairs', and 'Interior' are all accused of religious discrimination.

•

PLO Chairman YASSER ARAFAT signs a 25-year license agreement with British Gas Group (BG Group holds 60 percent equity in the licence; its partner Consolidated Contractors International Company (CCC), which is based in Athens and owned by Lebanonâs Sabbagh and Koury families, holds 30 percent; and the Palestinian Authorityâs Palestinian Investment Fund, the remaining 10 percent.)

The Israelis begin harassing the Gazan fishermen only after the discovery of the natural gas deposits, resulting in a number of deaths.

It is a reasonable assumption that the two events are linked:

1. that the Israelis are asserting control over a resource valued at over US$4 billion; and
2. that they are intent on denying any benefit to the Palestinians regardless of who controls Gaza.

November

11, Thursday: Israel's High Court of Justice permits the publication of a document from the Justice Ministry which discloses several new pieces of information on the AVISHAI RAVIV. Former General Security Service agent, RAVIV, has been under investigation for over a year for his role in failing to prevent the assassination of Prime Minister YITZHAK RABIN in November, 1995.
The document claims that current Supreme Court Justice DORIT BEINISCH agreed during her service as State Attorney to have another person incriminated in order to protect RAVIV; the Justice Ministry spokesperson denied that BEINISCH gave such consent. It also cites former head of the GSS' counter-insurgency and counter-espionage branch HEZI KALO as saying that had RAVIV been dealt with differently, it would have been possible to prevent RABIN's assassination. The document, dated June 16, 1996, is a summary of a discussion that took place on May 2, 1996, in the office of then-Attorney General MICHAEL BEN YAIR. Also present were State Attorney EDNA ARBEL, Jerusalem District Attorney MOSHE LADOR, other senior state attorneys, and three representatives of the GSS, including KALO, who has since retired from the organization.

12: Austria, JOERG HAIDER, head of their Freedom Party, who previously praised HITLER's "orderly" employment policies and described members of the Nazi Waffen-SS as "decent men of character," says in an attempt to change his image –

"I am personally sorry, because I think that I have hurt the feelings of people who were themselves victims of National Socialism or their relatives," and later, "The very uniqueness and incomparability of the crime of the Holocaust means Austrian politicians must take such fears seriously."

19: Water supplies to farming communities which have exceeded their quotas are cut as the level of the Sea of Galilee is in danger of falling below the new "red line." The level of the Sea of Galilee has dropped to 19 cm below the red line – 213 meters below sea level – a record low. Water experts anticipate that it is likely to breach the new red line, 30 cm below the 213 meter mark in coming weeks. Former Minister of Agriculture RAPHAEL EITAN said that it is imperative to prepare to import water from abroad to meet next year's requirements because even if the Government immediately approved seawater-desalination project, the first drops of fresh water would not be produced until 2002.

He advocated initiating a nation-wide "save-it" campaign to reduce consumption in the domestic and industrial sectors, while increasing production of irrigation water from purified sewage. A steering committee established by the National Infrastructure Ministry to examine the water crisis and make recommendations has already put forth proposals which will be discussed by the ministerial economics committee early next week. The establishment of a desalination plant to be built and run privately and the establishment of additional sewage-treatment plants were among the committee's proposals.

22: Following years of negotiations, the Israel Prime Minister's Office announces that Egypt has agreed to sell natural gas to Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The project, called "pipeline of peace," will provide gas through El-Arish in Egypt to Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and later to Turkey, Syria and Lebanon. At a meeting in the Knesset, Egyptian ambassador MOHAMMED BASSIOUNY tells Minister of National Infrastructure ELI SUISSA and Minister of Regional Co-operation SHIMON PERES that the gas would be exported through a pipeline to be built through the Sinai. The pipeline to Israel is expected to be completed within two years. A source familiar with the negotiations identifies the Israeli partner in the project as the Merhav group, currently involved in an oil refinery project in Alexandria. The source also says the Israeli market would require 2.2 billion cubic meters of gas per year at first, a quantity which would grow to 6 billion cubic meters in 5-7 years.